The coronavirus, originating from China, has a tremendous impact on the world. COVID-19, a threatening type of coronavirus, is spreading at incredible speeds all around the world. Like many other plagues of the past, we do not have a vaccine or effective treatment that can directly target the COVID-19 strands. The virus seems to be life-threatening to weak immune systems, especially to those of older people. However, this does not mean that young people should not worry about the virus. The coronavirus spreads extremely quickly and easily to other people. Even if no symptoms are displayed, a person still can be carrying the virus to pass it on. For this
reason, scientists worry about spread during this “incubation” period.
Due to the nature of how the virus spreads, gatherings of many people are detrimental since one person can basically affect the whole group. This includes any public gathering, stores, and even school! It is recommended that one stays at least one meter apart from another person, which is quite difficult to do in our daily lives. People would not show symptoms until a week or two has passed, when the virus is prepared to attack. Common symptoms after this time include dry coughing, shortness of breath, and fever.
The economy is falling and many businesses are suffering extreme financial losses because of the virus. In the United States, this event has triggered one of the worst public scares in history. In fact, the virus may continue to render the situation worse and possibly set a new record to be engraved in history. A comparable time is the Great Depression in the 1930s. Like the situation we are experiencing, the Great Depression was also caused by the collapse of the stock market, which eventually ruined the entire economy with people struggling to obtain the money to survive in this unpredictable world. Our stock markets at the moment are disastrous and harmful for many workers and consumers alike.
Many attempts and efforts to fight the disease are present in order to save many future lives and to prevent the virus from having a worse impact on humans. Organizations and government officials recommend many measures to restrict the movement of the virus, which will help -- right now experts predict 150 million Americans will contract coronavirus, yet numerous simulations suggest that by following experts’ instructions, we can flatten out the curve. To prevent or at least reduce the spread of coronavirus, there are five agreed tips: wash hands often, cough into the elbow, do not touch your face, stay 3 ft apart, and stay home if you are sick. Future plans suggest that if everyone in the United States cooperates in containing the disease, the damage of the coronavirus would be greatly reduced. However, if we do not heed the warnings, the coronavirus may reach its peak around July or August, which would greatly affect the daily lives of many people. Also, testing for the coronavirus is not widely available to the public as they are mainly used to travelers. Major concerns arise since people cannot test themselves for COVID-19. However, the future is bright as a vaccine has already been developed and health insurance has pledged to cover the costs of testing.
One of the most significant is the effect of school life. Many schools and universities have closed down their campus for the benefits of students’ health. LAUSD recently has made the decision to close school for at least 2 weeks. This decision, although inevitable, interferes with our daily school lives including events, competitions, and learning time in general. One of the biggest concern are the AP exams. The students, scheduled to be tested in May, are losing instructional time in order to prepare for the AP exams, and there is no guarantee that the coronavirus situation will get any better. In response, College Board announced that test dates may be rescheduled and that online testing may be used if necessary. Discouraged to meet with one another, the students are also detracted from social time with friends, which ultimately might reduce precious and unrecoverable memories in high school.
The COVID-19 virus is the latest strain of coronavirus, fresh out of China. It is suspected that it originated in bats, and was passed to pangolins as an intermediary. From there, it spread to humans and has been multiplying quickly. The main worry with coronavirus is the relatively easy person-person transmission factor -- the latest strain can remain in the air for up to 3 hours, and on some surfaces for up to 3 days. Right now the main worry with coronavirus is catching it early on. Initially, there are no or limited symptoms -- maybe a few involuntary coughs here and there and some nausea. Doctors recommend at this stage to drink tons of water and gargle with water and salt or vinegar -- which will supposedly kill the virus inhabiting your throat before it reaches the lungs. By the time the main severe clinical symptoms develop, it is often late for the patient, who would have developed fibrosis of the lungs at that point. By tricking cells and entering through the ACE2 receptor, the virus kills off lung cells and causes a drastic decrease in surface area. With this scarring, your lungs have less capacity to absorb oxygen, and you have permanent lung damage. The individual cannot perform as strenuous aerobic activities, and in addition, may have trouble breathing. In consideration of these factors and consequences, we will discuss what to do to prevent the spread of coronavirus, for the matter of treating it is a different issue.